Blackpool Airport has suspended banner flights from its base after the message 'White Lives Matter Burnley' was towed by an aeroplane over Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

The banner was flown over the stadium during Manchester City's 5-0 win over Burnley.

In a statement, manager Stephen Smith said the airport and Blackpool Council are "outraged by this incident".

Burnley say they are "ashamed and embarrassed" by the banner.

Blackpool Airport says the incident was reported to police and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Chief superintendent Russ Procter said Lancashire Police had investigated the incident but "concluded that there are no criminal offences that have been disclosed at this time".

Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said his organisation condemned the incident.

Blackpool airport statement read: "We stand against racism of any kind and absolutely do not condone the activity, the message was offensive and the action reprehensible. The decision to fly the banner was taken entirely by the banner flying company without the knowledge or approval of the airport or Blackpool Council.

"Due to the nature of the activity, banners are not checked before take-off and the content is at the operator's discretion.

"Following an emergency review this morning, Blackpool Airport will suspend all banner towing operations at the airport with immediate effect and we would suggest that other airports should also consider this approach in light of what has happened at Blackpool."

Burnley and City players and staff had taken a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement moments before the aircraft circled over the stadium.

"Fans like that don't deserve to be around football," Clarets skipper Ben Mee told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"We're ashamed, we're embarrassed. It's a minority of our supporters - I know I speak for a massive part of our support who distance ourselves from anything like that."

In a statement, Burnley said that the banner "in no way represents" what the club stands for and that they will "work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and take appropriate action".

Both Burnley and City were wearing shirts with the players' names replaced with 'Black Lives Matter'.

It is understood that the stunt was carried out by Air Ads, which operates out of Blackpool Airport and runs a one-stop shop where they make the banners and fly them. They have flown over football stadiums in the past, including a 'Moyes Out' one at Old Trafford.

When BBC Sport contacted the company, a man who answered refused to give his name but said he was packing away the banner.

He said as long as banners were legal and did not use coarse language, the company did not 'take sides' and had previously done a Black Lives Matter banner. He claimed police had been informed of the banner in advance.

The Premier League resumed on 17 June after a 100-day hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic; players and officials have been showing their support for the movement for racial equality following the death of George Floyd in the United States last month.

Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, died as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked protests around the world.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53152212

Lol some group of white supremacists somewhere didn't want to feel outdone by the whole black lives matter trending everywhere.

When you strip off all the segregation by color, race, religion, culture, social class, at the end of the day, ALL lives matter, in my opinion.

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If that banner had read "black lives matter"

Would they have banned the airline?

I think this is a double standard

And it's only the blacks that will suffer the effects more

Cos you're the ones invading thier cities

Racism can't end this way, infact it's fueling more hatred towards the lazy blacks

Very insensitive to do advert

white lives matter and person chop 5-0 that day............



Guardiola...

Good one.

[img]https://media./images/665b1cedc62c11b75adac4f856e6dd87/tenor.gif[/img]

Above all.

Love matters

mad o

We have them in different race, tribes, religion and politics fantastical IDIOTS every where in the world

Hmm

why did I book this space?
lol

It irritates some whites to hear black lives matter. But d truth is we knw all lives matter but dey should knw dat some pple av black skin shouldn't make their lives less important.


Correlation:

Is like u go to where NLC are doing protest for increment in minimum wages with "Politician salary matter" placard just bcs ur fada is a politician.

We all knw everybody income matters but common workers are being underpaid while politicians ar taking good % home.

Every life matters

Biafrans lives matter

All lives matter

counter attack

They're stupid people, most of themsee the blacks as a stain on humanity. The only thing wrong with the world.

ogbiwai:
Blackpool Airport has suspended banner flights from its base after the message 'White Lives Matter Burnley' was towed by an aeroplane over Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

The banner was flown over the stadium during Manchester City's 5-0 win over Burnley.

nope

A

logon599:
Lol some group of white supremacists somewhere didn't want to feel outdone by the whole black lives matter trending everywhere.

When you strip off all the segregation by color, race, religion, culture, social class, at the end of the day, ALL lives matter, in my opinion.

Yeah. All lives matter.

YorubaKinging:
If that banner had read "black lives matter"

Would they have banned the airline?

I think this is a double standard

And it's only the blacks that will suffer the effects more

Cos you're the ones invading thier cities

Racism can't end this way, infact it's fueling more hatred towards the lazy blacks

look at this duck fowl oh "lazy black" u think to come out of slavery & still be up & doing is a child play infact I know u don't know but America was built by black slaves even the very white house was built by black people don't ever in ur godforsaken life call black people lazy, u can be lazy or your country can be lazy but not the whole black community the economy of America is run by small business which black people constitute a large percent ...U are a disgrace to the black community, black lives matter & the systems of many countries has subdued black people for too long.

You are a big fool if u ever say all lives matter...no time did black people ever said only black people live matter let me give u guys an illustration this all lives matter is like going to a breast cancer awareness program & say all cancer matter u will look like a damn fool becoz nobody ever said all cancer didn't matter but the awareness is for breast cancer.

ok

But what's the big deal in white life matters